It doesn’t look like much yet – some piling work in the middle of an empty lot but this site, in the heart of Batu Kawan, Penang Development Corporation’s ambitious new township on the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia, is seeking to be a landmark destination for the region. Envisaged as a satellite town to Penang Island, this 6,000ac township will encompass a theme park, golf resort, technology park, commercial and residential areas, universities, sports stadium, medical centres and Ikea.
A 20-year development, Batu Kawan is expected to be home to 300,000 people. It is located just after the Penang Second Bridge, and is 45 minutes from Georgetown. It is in the centre of Batu Kawan that Sarawak-based PE Land Sdn Bhd will set up Design Village, the first outlet mall in the northern part of the peninsula. Spread over 400,000 sq ft, Design Village will consist of 150 shop lots spread over a single floor. Designed by Singapore-based DP Architects, the outlet mall will embrace a modern and contemporary design, with strong focus on greenery and landscaping. With three entrances and five courtyards, the plan calls for open-air corridors that create attractive walks while ensuring maximum frontage for all shops.
Owner and operator of The Spring shopping mall in Kuching, this is PE Land’s first venture in West Malaysia. Scheduled to open in December 2016, Design Village is part of a 40ac project for the company, which will also incorporate a hotel, serviced apartments and condominiums. In an exclusive interview with The Peak, siblings Joanna and Ronald Ling, Executive Director and General Manager of PE Land Sdn Bhd, respectively, share their thoughts on Penang and Design Village.
How relevant is your experience with The Spring in Kuching to what you plan to do with Design Village? How would you translate that experience into your new project?
The Spring has been a steep learning curve for us, but it has established us as successful retail operators and mall owners. We are repeating this formula by building another Spring in Bintulu, and it is a model we want to emulate all over the country.
Design Village is a new business model for us. From our experience at The Spring, we know retailers need to dispose of excess stock, so it is just a natural progression that we eventually build an outlet mall.
How would you differentiate what you plan to do with Design Village with existing, new and upcoming outlet malls?
We are the only outlet mall located in the north of the country. We think the capacity is sufficient for one in the south, one in the centre and us. The concept of trading and shopping has not changed since mankind started to trade. But how Design Village is different is that we have a masterplan with a design focus. We are dedicating an entire street within the mall for Malaysian designers. Be it homeware, fashion, furniture, accessories or craft, we will be a platform to cultivate and nurture local brands. And what better place to do it than in Penang, which already has a reputation for arts and culture? We are also planning an art street and artist incubation centre to nurture young talents.
As a show of our commitment, we recently brought internationally acclaimed artist, Magda Sayeg, to Penang in August. She is the mother of yarn bombing, whose work is a form of street art using knit or crochet to make street art installations like a Volkswagen Combi Van, trishaws, trees and a 3-D Design Village logo. She is an inspiration to young talent in Penang and Malaysia, and Design Village promises colour and fashion when we open to the public.
What is the ratio of local/foreign visitors you expect for Design Village? How do you plan to entice foreign visitors to Batu Kawan?
We expect the ratio to be about half each. Penang receives six million tourists a year and we see the state government continually working to entice more flights and visitors. Penang has a lot of food and art offerings for tourists but there is an opportunity to offer more retail experiences, so Design Village will address that need.
What features of the Design Village are you most positive of?
Its green building features are something we are very proud of. Although its design is architecturally modern, the feel is still very much of a village set within a park environment. Its focus on a community lifestyle is also something we are proud to cultivate.
Talk us through your plans for the development of the 40ac site Design Village is located on. Will this development be contingent on the success of Design Village?
Design Village is masterplanned as a modern village. It is dedicated to nurturing culture and community, creativity and design thinking. Other phases will include low density retail consisting of a market square, event space, artist village and design incubation hub. It will have hotels and residential components. We see the other phases as an advantage to Design Village, driving traffic to the outlet mall. Design Village’s development is an ecosystem of elevated community living with all the elements of a village, but with a modern edgy twist.
Is Design Village part of PE Land’s larger, long-term expansion in Peninsular Malaysia?
Yes. While some companies within the group have had a presence in the peninsula for many years, our retail development arm has not expanded to West Malaysia until now. We will continue to grow our shopping mall portfolio with different concepts all over Malaysia.
